


Shadowhunters Timeline

by MalecCrazedAuthor



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Canon Timeline, Meta
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-19
Updated: 2018-03-19
Packaged: 2019-04-04 15:16:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,205
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14023032
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MalecCrazedAuthor/pseuds/MalecCrazedAuthor
Summary: A timeline for the show that I have painstakingly pieced together using both canon events in the show and various clues scattered throughout.





	1. Introduction, Explanations and Links

If you want to see this in calendar format, I have created Google Calendars for it:

##  [Full Shadowhunters Timeline Calendar](https://calendar.google.com/calendar/embed?src=a18h3e722im8esrn4982f864c4%40group.calendar.google.com&mode=week&dates=20160821/20160827)

##  [Important Malec Moments Calendar](https://calendar.google.com/calendar/embed?src=vi2v9ofb2mtfaejudeo0csvd5o%40group.calendar.google.com&mode=week&dates=20160821/20160827)

**Click on the events to read my notes explaining my reasoning behind choosing that date/time.**

(I haven’t tried looking at these calendars from any other time zone; hopefully they will work. Let me know if the times seem off and I will try to fix that.)

If you want the timeline in long form, keep reading.

* * *

## What Year Is It? Survey says: 2016

There are several indicators in the show that Shadowhunters takes place in 2016. These are as follows, from least to most compelling:

  1. The show began airing in 2016, so it makes sense that’s when it would be set.
  2. In 2x16 the Lewis family observes Yom Kippur. In 2015 and 2017, Yom Kippur was in late September. In 2016, it was in early-mid October. This offers nearly two weeks more for events to unfold.
  3. In 2x05 when Clary is researching warlock case files, Magnus has two infractions dated 2016. Most likely, those infractions were the result of his actions relating to Raj and Alec in 2x03.
  4. In 1x07 when Elaine and Rebecca Lewis are arguing with each other during Simon’s “intervention” Elaine clearly says it’s 2016.



That last one really sort of seals it. The show takes place in 2016.

* * *

## Immovable Date Indicators

Having determined that the show takes place in 2016, that leaves us with two non-negotiable dates around which to build a timeline:

**The first is Clary’s birthday**  (1x01) which book canon establishes to be August 23. There is an argument to be made that show canon may not adhere to book canon with regard to birthdays, but the writers and producers have repeatedly tweeted out Happy Birthday messages for the characters on their book-canon birthdays.

 **The second is Yom Kippur**  (2x16). Yom Kippur in 2016 took place starting at sunset on October 11 and ending after sunset on October 12.

This means that when Simon was fasting for Yom Kippur, it was October 12, and the dinner he and Maia attend with the Lewis family takes place after sunset on the 12th.

Once these two episodes are considered set in stone as having taken place on August 23 and October 12, respectively, we can then build the rest of the timeline around those dates.

* * *

## A Few More Notes

It’s canonically established that demons have an aversion to sunlight, or are actually killed by sunlight (2x05.)

Thus, it’s a somewhat safe assumption that Shadowhunters tend to work the night shift and sleep during the day. A lot of time when there’s a question of what the characters were doing, it happens in the early part of the day and we can probably headcanon that they were getting some sleep.

This is confirmed (among other places) in 1x04 when Clary, Alec, and Hodge are all asleep when Clary concludes Magnus Bane took her memories, only an hour or two after rescuing Simon at dawn from the Hotel Dumort.

Also, I rely a lot on sunrise and sunset for time clues, but sunrise and sunset happen at different times depending on the date. [I have taken those times from this site, for reference](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sunrise-and-sunset.com%2Fen%2Fsun%2Funited-states%2Fnew-york-city%2F2016%2Faugust&t=YzU3OGUyNTAzZDM2MTQ5YTI0NDNkNDlmMTE0MTZiOTk4OWFhMzYzZCxWbU54dXBRMw%3D%3D&b=t%3Aq7WNBZOaHFhtINdvSPbwWg&p=https%3A%2F%2Fmaleccrazedauthor.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F172027395980%2Fshadowhunters-timeline-introduction-notes-and&m=0).

In season 2B what time it is in Idris becomes increasingly relevant. The show is surprisingly good about remembering that there is a time zone difference. But what time zone? We know from 2x19 that Idris borders Switzerland somewhere, so our safest bet is to assume it’s in the same time zone as Switzerland. In other words, Idris local time is about five hours ahead of New York time.

* * *

Navigate to the next chapter for Season 1, the chapter after that for season 2a, etc, etc

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can find a [rebloggable version of this timeline on Tumblr](https://maleccrazedauthor.tumblr.com/post/172027395980/)


	2. Season 1 Timeline

##  **SEASON ONE (August 23, 2016 - September 8, 2016)**

**1x01 “The Mortal Cup”**  
**Timeframe:** August 23 (afternoon) – August 25 (before dawn)

  * It’s perhaps early to mid afternoon when Clary has her interview at The Brooklyn Academy of Art
  * Dot is closing the antiques shop when Clary gets home, so we may assume it’s around 5pm when Jocelyn gives Clary her gift. This is also confirmed by the fact that Jocelyn is expecting them to eat dinner together, so it’s around dinner time
  * Sunset in NYC on August 23, 2016 was 7:42pm. It’s already dark when Clary, Simon and Maureen are talking on top of the van  _before_  Simon and Maureen’s gig at the coffee shop, which puts the gig at 9-10pm at the earliest
  * The events at Pandemonium probably took place sometime between 11pm on the 23rd and 1am on the 24th
  * When Clary portals into the police station after returning home following the events at Pandemonium, Captain Vargas says it’s 2am (thus it is now the 24th) 
  * When Simon calls after Clary wakes up in the Institute, he says she hasn’t answered her phone in two days. It appears to be in the pre-dawn hours of the 25th at this point (Izzy says she’s about to make breakfast at the beginning of 1x02, which takes place immediately after this scene



**1x02 “The Descent Into Hell Isn’t Easy”  
Timeframe:**  August 25 (pre-dawn) to August 26 (shortly after midnight)

  * When Simon finds Clary at the Institute, it’s still dark outside
  * Once he gets inside, Izzy remarks that she was just about to make breakfast. So we may assume it’s very early in the morning on the 25th.
  * Exterior shot suggests it’s pre-dawn when Luke is in Clary’s burnt-out room, packing up her belongings
  * What happens to the rest of the day??? I assume at some point everyone got some sleep (was Simon just hanging out in the Institute all day?)
  * It looks like it might still be light out judging from the lighting when Izzy is giving Clary more clothes
  * It’s dark outside when they follow Dot to Pandemonium (sunset on August 25 2016 is 7:37pm)
  * By the time Clary is done in the City of Bones and Simon is abducted by Raphael, it’s probably well after midnight on the 26th



**1x03 “Dead Man’s Party”  
Timeframe: ** August 26, ~2am to ~7am

  * All the events of this episode occur in the early morning hours of August 26
  * Simon is likely abducted sometime between midnight and 2am
  * In the cemetery while raiding the weapons cache, Jace and Alec confirm that their rescue mission to retrieve Simon is planned for dawn
  * Sunrise on August 26, 2016 is 6:18am
  * The sun is already up when they escape the Hotel Dumort



**1x04 “Raising Hell”  
****Timeframe:** August 26 (morning) to August 27 (before dawn)

  * Clary, Simon et al have likely only been back from the Hotel Dumort for an hour or two when Simon wakes Clary from her dream, thus it’s still early morning
  * Jace tells Izzy to wake Alec and Hodge when Clary realizes Magnus Bane took her memories, quasi-confirming that Shadowhunters tend to keep night-shift hours and sleep during the day
  * **CONTINUITY SNAFU:**   _Even though it was after dawn when they rescued Simon from the Hotel Dumort, it is dark outside the front doors of the Institute when Simon storms out_
  * It’s “not even 9am” when Luke offers Alaric jerky at the police station
  * It appears to still be daylight outside when Izzy helps Clary find something to wear
  * When Magnus and Elias argue over Magnus taking the meeting, it looks like it’s dark outside Magnus’s apartment. However, there is some dim, pinkish light on the far left curtain that suggests it could be around sunset and the alley outside Magnus’s balcony doors is just really shadowy
  * Izzy and Alec are already dressed for the rave when Alec is preparing his arrows, which suggests it’s close to 10pm
  * **CONTINUITY SNAFU:**   _The scene with Simon, Maureen and Elaine Lewis shows it’s clearly still light out, and Elaine says it’s dinner time, so this scene takes place around maybe 6pm. Which means it should really take place before the scene with Magnus and Elias and the scene with Alec and Izzy already dressed for the rave_
  * If Simon didn’t return home until dinner time, but he left the Institute in the morning only an hour or two after sunrise, where was he all day?
  * The Downworld rave begins at 10pm, according to the flier Izzy displayed earlier in the episode. It doesn’t look terribly busy when our gang is there, suggesting the rave hasn’t been going for long. This meeting probably takes place around 11pm
  * The Circle probably attacks Magnus’s lair around midnight to 1am on the 27th
  * Depending on how long it takes Clary to draw that intricate summoning circle, the demon summoning probably takes place around 3-4am
  * Clary appears to be getting ready for bed when she has her vision of her mother and Valentine, but it seems to still be before sunrise, maybe around 6am



**1x05 “Moo Shu to Go”  
Timeframe:**  August 27, ~6am to ~9pm

  * Everyone seems to be getting ready for bed when Clary seems Valentine with the portal shard necklace and Alec confiscates it
  * It seems reasonable to conclude the slept for part of the day, they’re all dressed in different clothing when Maryse arrives from Idris
  * Clary slips away around late afernoon
  * **CONTINUITY SNAFU** :  _Prior to the scene of Clary slipping away, Raphael confronts Simon, who is skulking outside the Hotel Dumort. It’s dark in this scene, but still daytime in the scenes before and after_
  * Simon and Clary are abducted by Theo and Alaric before sunset, and rescued not long after sunset, putting the end of this episode at around 8:30 to 9pm



**1x06 “Of Men and Angels”  
Timeframe:**  August 27 (late evening) to August 28 (early morning)

  * Episode picks up within an hour of the end of 1x05
  * Episode ends well before dawn on August 28



**1x07 “Major Arcana”  
Timeframe:**  August 28 (pre-dawn to late night)

  * It’s some time in the early morning, well before dawn, when Clary tells Jace, Magnus, and Luke that she knows where the Cup is
  * **CONTINUITY SNAFU** :  _In the first 2x18 flashback, it is established that Alec is still at Magnus’s loft after sunrise, which means he should have been in this meeting with Clary, Jace and Magnus, yet he’s nowhere to be seen. Perhaps he went to the roof to clear his head?_
  * Obviously it’s well after dawn when Alec returns to the Institute and tells Izzy he stayed at Magnus’s all night
  * It’s probably mid-to-late afternoon when Elaine and Rebecca hold their “intervention” for Simon, since Elaine says she left work early
  * Sunset on the 28th is 7:42pm. It’s after dark when Clary, Jace, Alec and Izzy run away from the police station after finding the tarot card, so around 8pm
  * It’s maybe around 9-10pm when Simon returns to the Hotel Dumort and is murdered by Camille



**1x08 “Bad Blood”  
Timeframe:**  August 29 (pre-dawn to near midnight)

  * Raphael brings Simon’s body to the Institute sometime before dawn
  * All events of his episode happen in one day
  * Simon rises as a vampire probably not long before midnight



**1x09 “Rise Up”  
Timeframe:**  August 30 (midnight to before sunrise)

  * All events happen before sunrise on the 30th
  * Meliorn is arrested probably sometime not long after midnight (possibly even shortly before midnight on the 29th)
  * Meliorn is rescued by Jace, Clary, and Izzy before sunrise



**1x10 “The World Inverted”  
Timeframe** : August 30 (after sunrise to sometime after sunset)

  * Izzy returns to the Institute sometime after sunrise
  * It appears to be around dusk when Clary passes into the alternate dimension, however, the Seelie Glade is probably part of Faerie and time doesn’t necessarily move the same way there
  * Sunset on the 30th is 7:29pm. Simon visits Luke at the Jade Wolf sometime after this
  * Izzy’s arrest and Alec’s attempt to track Jace probably happen sometime between sunset and midnight
  * **CONTINUITY SNAFU:**   _It’s daylight in the alternate dimension even though it’s dark in the “real” world. There is no explanation for why time moves differently or why Clary would be inserted into a different time in the alternate dimension_



**1x11 “Blood Calls to Blood”  
Timeframe:**  August 31 (morning) to September 1 (late night)

  * It’s after sunrise when Clary and “Michael Wayland” drag an ailing Jace into the Jade Wolf (take a moment to appreciate Simon cringing away from the sunlight coming through the window)
  * Izzy is still wearing the same clothes as in 1x10. She’s apparently incarcerated in the Head of the Institute’s office, and isn’t being allowed to change her clothes?
  * The Inquisitor appears to arrive around mid-morning
  * **CONTINUITY SNAFU** :  _The Inquisitor says the trial will commence that evening, however it doesn’t begin until the following evening_
  * Lighting through the window suggests it’s still daylight outside when Alec tells Izzy she needs an advocate. However, it’s dark out when Alec goes to ask Magnus to be Izzy’s advocate. One possible explanation for the trial being delayed is that the Inquisitor granted time for Izzy’s advocate to work up their defense after she chooses someone to represent her?
  * It’s late night on the 31st when Clary and Luke scout Renwicks
  * It’s after sunset on September 1st when Izzy’s trial begins
  * It’s probably close to midnight on the 1st when Jace and Clary return to the Institute and hand over the Cup



**1x12 “Malec”  
Timeframe:**  September 5 (afternoon/evening) - September 7 (late night)

_This date is only a best guess. We have no indicator of how much time has passed since 1x11. It’s likely it’s only been a few days, since everyone is still researching how to wake up Jocelyn, but it seems even Izzy would need at least a few days to pull together a swanky wedding, so let’s assume it’s the better part of a week._

  * This episode begins before sunset on September 5, it appears to be daylight outside when Jace and Izzy talk about the wedding planning and Alec and Clary thank each other
  * However, it’s clearly close to sunset as it’s dark when Alec arrives at Magnus’s loft
  * Clary says it’s 9am (on the 6th) when Magnus is at the Institute to consult about the warlock who bespelled Jocelyn
  * Jace says “we leave in an hour” meaning they leave to collect Ragnor at 10am
  * **CONTINUITY SNAFU** :  _Even though they leave at 10am, it’s after dark when they return, though they weren’t gone more than an hour or two_
  * Magnus is wearing the same outfit in both his scenes with ghost!Ragnor, suggesting they both happen on the same night. Those scenes bookend Alec’s bachelor party, so this is still the night of the 6th
  * Exterior shots of the Institute (and Simon’s dialogue earlier in the episode) indicate that the wedding takes place shortly after sunset on the 7th
  * Hodge absconds with the Mortal Cup late on the 7th



**1x13 “Morning Star”  
Timeframe:**  September 7 (late) to September 8 (evening)

  * This episode picks up shortly after 1x12 ends, late at night on the 7th
  * Jace, Alec and Luke appear to hunt Hodge until the pre-dawn hours of the 8th
  * It’s after daybreak when Clary, Simon, and Izzy free Camille from the Dumort
  * The standoff with Valentine appears to happen late afternoon or early evening of the 8th
  * Jocelyn is awakened sometime after sunset on the 8th



**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can find a [rebloggable version of this timeline on Tumblr](https://maleccrazedauthor.tumblr.com/post/172027386335/)


	3. Season 2a Timeline

##  **SEASON 2A (September 9, 2016 - September 27, 2016)**

**2x01 “This Guilty Blood”  
Timeframe: ** September 9 (after midnight to late night)

  * Lydia says she’s been trying to reach the Clave for four hours, so this episode picks up soon after 1x13 ends
  * Simon says it’s “almost dawn” when Aldertree evicts him from the Institute. Which means Valentine is cooking spaghetti just before dawn in the previous scene???
  * Several daytime scenes take place but it’s after dark again when Alec visits Magnus to apologize



**2x02 “A Door Into the Dark”  
Timeframe:**  September 10 (after midnight) to September 11 (late evening)

  * This episode begins minutes after 2x01 ends, perhaps shortly after midnight on the 10th
  * However, it’s unlikely the fighters in the dojo were having matches between midnight and sunrise (and also unlikely Valentine was abducting fighters within an hour or two of being shot by a crossbow) so it’s safe to assume the abductions from the dojo take place after sunset later that same day
  * It’s still dark out when Lydia briefs the Institute about the dojo abductions, but Lydia, Izzy, Clary, and Aldertree have all had a change of wardrobe since the beginning of the episode, confirming that most of the day has passed and they probably got some sleep somewhere in there
  * The light on the exterior shot of Valentine’s ship is low enough to suggest it’s around dawn the next day
  * Jocelyn is bringing Clary coffee, which suggests it’s morning of the 11th when Clary leaves the Institute
  * It’s daytime as Alec and Izzy investigate the fight club
  * It’s probably late afternoon/early evening when Dot abducts Clary
  * Sunset on September 11, 2016 was 7:09pm. It was before sunset when Jocelyn proposed her plan for Alec to track Jace, but it’s dark when Alec actually does the tracking
  * Since it’s unlikely Alec would have delayed putting the plan into action, this suggests it’s fairly early at night (maybe 8-9pm?) when Jace and Clary jump from Valentine’s ship



**2x03 “Parabatai Lost”  
Timeframe:**  September 12 (daybreak to late night)

  * **NOTE:**   _September 12 is Alec’s birthday_
  * Episode beings after sunrise the morning after Jace and Clary jump from Valentine’s ship (which means they were in the water all night?)
  * It’s after sunset (7:08pm) when Jace is taken to the hospital
  * When Maia and Luke search for Jace in the hospital, the ER doctor says he’s been there “a few hours” which means it’s probably around 10pm
  * Jace likely arrives to revive Alec between 11pm and midnight
  * Happy birthday, Alec, amirite?



**2x04 “Day of Wrath”  
Timeframe:**  September 13 (sunset to midnight or shortly thereafter)

_The date for this episode is only a best guess. It’s unlikely Clary would have let more than 24 hours pass without going to see Jace. It’s also unlikely Alec would be so sanguine about Jace’s fate if he’d been in the City of Bones for more than a day, but Alec has also clearly had time to rest and recuperate from his near-death experience._

  * It’s after sunset when Clary goes to see Jace in the City of Bones
  * Alec has likely spent all day resting and is not looking much better
  * All events of this episode appear to happen in just a few hours



**2x05 “Dust and Shadows”  
Timeframe:**  September 14 (after sunset) to September 16 (after sunset)

  * It’s dark out on the night of the 14th when Alec is shooting arrows off the roof of the Institute and Clary goes to ask Magnus about bringing Jocelyn back
  * Aldertree briefs the Institute sometime after sunrise (6:38am) on the 15th and says the Rite of Mourning will be “tomorrow night”
  * Clary visits Iris Rouse sometime during the day of the 15th and says it’s been two days since her mother died
  * Simon returns to his mother’s house the evening of the 15th
  * Alec seeks comfort at Magnus’s loft after sunset on the 15th
  * Rebecca visits Simon and throws out his blood the morning of the 16th
  * Jace and Izzy spar and Jace tells Izzy about the mission to the Iron Sisters sometime mid-morning on the 16th
  * Aldertree gives Izzy the  _yin fen_  late morning or so on the 16th
  * Alec and Clary go to see Iris perhaps early afternoon on the 16th
  * It’s still daylight out on the 16th when Elaine catches Simon feeding on a rat
  * The Rite of Mourning ceremony takes place after sunset on the 16th



**2x06 “The Iron Sisters”  
Timeframe:**  September 16 (after sunset) to September 17 (late night)

  * Raphael arrives to help Simon with Elaine (who is wearing the same clothes she was at the end of 2x05) after sunset on the 16th
  * **CONTINUITY SNAFU** :  _Prior to the scene with Raphael and Simon, there is a scene with Clary and Jace talking about the rune Clary created. However, they are both wearing different clothes than at the Rite of Mourning, as is Izzy when she arrives, and it doesn’t make sense that Clary and Jace would just be business-as-usual researching the rune only an hour or two after the Rite of Mourning for Jocelyn, which suggests that these scenes are out of order and the scene with Clary and Jace should take place maybe the morning of the 17th_
  * Izzy is in a different outfit when she goes to ask Aldertree for a  _yin fen_  refill than she was wearing when she went to check on Clary, which suggests this is the afternoon/early evening of the 17th
  * (Also? Izzy? Goes? Through? A? Whole? Tin? Of?  _Yin Fen_? In? 24? Hours? And Aldertree thinks nothing of it?)
  * It’s after sunset when Alec responds to Magnus’s fire message
  * Wherever the Adamant Citadel is located, it’s daytime there while it’s not long after sunset in New York
  * The rest of the episode happens the evening of the 17th, perhaps even into the post-midnight hours of the 18th



**2x07 “How Are Thou Fallen”  
Timeframe:**  September 21 (evening) to September 22 (very early, pre-dawn)

_The date for this episode is only a best guess. I’m trying to put as much time as possible between 2x06 and this episode, because it doesn’t seem likely that Alec and Magnus are considering sex just a day or two after their first date. Also it should take Cleophas at least a few days to reach Valentine, considering she’s traveling without access to portals, and incognito (how did she get across that volcanic plain outside the Adamant Citadel?)_

  * There is some question whether this episode begins after sunset, or if the sky appears darker than it actually is because of the storm clouds moving in
  * Alec and Magnus return from their Tokyo date mid-evening, perhaps around sunset
  * Alec and Magnus’s date is interrupted not long after, still early enough for Magnus to feel like going out for a drink
  * Alec returns to Magnus’s apartment and proposes sex probably around or shortly after midnight
  * Clary and Jace free Ithuriel sometime in the wee small morning hours of the 22nd



**2x08 “Love is a Devil”  
Timeframe:**  September 22 (after midnight) to September 24 (after sunrise)

  * This episode picks up within an hour or so after the end of 2x07, with Clary and Jace telling Luke about the Soul Sword and Raphael rescuing Izzy
  * Per the finale 2x18 flashback, Alec wakes up in Magnus’s bed sometime after sunrise and returns to the Institute by, say, mid-morning
  * Alec returns to Magnus a few hours later, say early afternoon, to ask Magnus to host Max’s party
  * Simon texts and asks Clary to meet him at 11pm, per Clary’s dialogue
  * Alec and Maryse argue in Maryse’s office around that same time, so 11pm to midnight on the 22nd
  * Max’s party starts at 8pm on the 23rd
  * Max’s rune ceremony is after sunrise (6:46am) on the 24th



**2x09 “Bound by Blood”  
Timeframe:**  September 26 (afternoon until before midnight)

_The date for this episode is only a best guess. There are some compelling arguments for it not to be too soon after 2x08, and also some compelling arguments for it to be quite soon after 2x08:_

  * _It seems like the blood oath spell would at least allow Clary a day or two to locate Madzie before upping the threat level_
  * _Enough time has passed since 2x08 for Raphael and Izzy to have settled into some sort of “relationship” (if it can be called that under those circumstances)_
  * _When taking to the homeless man in the park, Simon says Madzie was taken “a few days ago” which would indicate at least a couple days have passed since 2x08_
  * __However, Simon and Clary were determined to spend as much time together as possible, so Clary probably hasn’t been willing to sit around the Institute where it’s safe for very long. And it doesn’t seem likely that Maia, having learned that Clary can activate the Soul Sword, would wait very long before making the attempt on her life.__



_So it’s anyone’s guess. I’m going to go with two days since the end of 2x08, though._

  * Iris’s spell seems to take effect maybe mid-afternoon
  * It’s still daytime when Clary and Jace arrive at Magnus’s loft to ask about her arm
  * It’s not yet sunset when Maia attacks Clary but it gets dark shortly thereafter when Maia explains herself to Luke
  * The rest of this episode takes place over the next few hours, up to perhaps around midnight



**2x10 “By the Light of Dawn”  
Timeframe:**  September 27 (midnight to after sunrise)

  * This episode begins immediately after 2x09 ends
  * It ends shortly after sunrise the morning of the 27th



**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can find a [rebloggable version of this timeline on Tumblr](https://maleccrazedauthor.tumblr.com/post/172027373185/)


	4. Season 2b Timeline

##  **SEASON 2B (September 28, 2016 to October 15, 2016)**

**2x11 “Mea Maxima Culpa”  
Timeframe: ** September 28 (before dawn) to September 29 (evening)

 _The date for this episode is only a best guess. There are no hard and fast indicators of how long has passed since 2x10, but we have a couple of clues (and a few causes for confusion.)_  
  
Aldertree has been sent back to Idris to face reprimand (one presumes for leaving the Institute vulnerable to Valentine’s attack?) Assuming this is true and not a lie like the one about the Soul Sword, at least a day or two has passed, because it would take a while for messages to pass back and forth, for the decision to be made to recall Aldertree, and for Aldertree to return.  
  
However, I doubt Imogen Herondale would wait too long before interrogating Valentine, so we may assume she arrives within a day or two of Valentine’s capture.

  * It’s dark when Alec and Jace are sparring in the courtyard. Assuming they still work the night shift, it could be before dawn and they’re unwinding after patrol the morning of the 28th
  * The low light indicates it’s either sunrise or sunset when Clary and Simon are on the bench. While I’m not sure a hot dog vendor (in the background) would be out and about right at daybreak, I’m going with sunrise because they appear to be looking across the river at Manhattan, which means they’re probably in Brooklyn facing west, and the sun is behind them in the east.
  * Azazel attacks the bar after dark that night
  * Alec tends to Izzy the next morning (the 29th)
  * **CONTINUITY SNAFU** :  _The scene immediately following this is Luke confronting Russell in the Jade Wolf, and then Luke gets a call about Azazel’s massacre in the bar. If Luke doesn’t find out about it until after Alec, who contacted Alec?_
  * **CONTINUITY SNAFU CONTINUED** :  _When Alec is notified he clearly says “there was a demon attack” and yet when Clary is looking at the bodies, she says “this looks like a demon attack” as though that is new information (like, why else would they have been called in?) Oh, Michael Reisz. I love you dearly, with all my heart and every fiber of my being, for giving us 1x12, but you are really not a very good writer_
  * **(POSSIBLE) CONTINUITY SNAFU:**   _It’s clearly still daylight when Simon and Maia talk in the bar, but the earlier scene with Izzy encountering Azazel in the alley outside the vamp lair made it look like it was after dark. Is the alley underground? Is it under a highway somewhere that doesn’t allow daylight to get in? Demons don’t seem to like daylight, so how is Azazel out and about if it’s not dark?_
  * It appears to be before sunset when Alec visits Magnus to ask about the demon and encounters Raphael
  * **YET ANOTHER CONTINUITY SNAFU** :  _Raphael says Izzy “just” came by the Dumort, but she came by in the morning as he was getting ready for ~~coffin~~  bed and now it’s nearly sunset_
  * When Alec returns to the Institute to tell them Azazel may have Izzy, Clary says the Inquisitor is in a meeting with the Alicante Council. Which I guess means the Alicante Council holds meeting in the middle of the night in Idris, because 6pm New York time would be about 11pm Idris time.
  * Best guess is the attempt to summon Azazel takes place around 8-9pm



**2x12 “You Are Not Your Own”  
Timeframe:**  September 29 (late evening) to September 30 (evening)

  * This episode picks up maybe an hour or so after 2x11 ends, assuming Valentine-in-Magnus’s-Body doesn’t spend more than an hour wandering around looking for Magnus’s loft
  * Izzy returns to the Institute with Sebastian in tow after sunrise the next morning
  * Izzy and Simon “visit” Rosa Santiago sometime that afternoon
  * **CONTINUITY SNAFU** :  _Izzy tells Rosa she and Raphael visited her for Bingo night last week, but Izzy stopped seeing Raphael only a few days ago, only hours after learning about Rosa’s existence. So that’s not possible_
  * The body swap is undone sometime after sunset on the 30th



**2x13 “Those of Demon Blood”  
Timeframe:**  October 3 (late evening) to October 5 (shortly after midnight)

_The date for this episode is only a best guess. The flier Clary creates for Simon’s show says “Midnight Tuesday” which would have to mean Tuesday, October 4 because midnight on October 11 would be after the start of Yom Kippur and Simon wouldn’t be able to have a show that night (and also there wouldn’t be time for 2x14 and 2x15 to happen before 2x16, which takes place on October 12.)_

_Honestly the timeline for this episode is a bit of a mess. It would make a lot more sense if there was a day between solving the murder mystery with Kaelie and Simon’s show, but Magnus’s lack of a costume change indicates it all happens on the same night._

  * Clary tells Simon about his upcoming show sometime the evening of October 3. Which seems pretty sketchy to me “Hey, baby, I booked you a show for…24 hours from now. Have fun getting ready for that!”
  * Maia is wearing Costume #1
  * Clary and Simon find the first body shortly thereafter
  * Luke is pulled in for questioning by the Inquisitor maybe around midnight or shortly thereafter
  * The second body is found while Luke is offering his DNA
  * After daybreak, the Inquisitor addresses the Institute and tells them she’s leaving Jace in charge when she goes
  * Jace tells them to collect DNA from their friends the morning of the 4th
  * Alec does to see Magnus for a DNA sample around mid-morning
  * Apparently Clary decides to take an art class all day, however, because she doesn’t ask Simon for his DNA sample until after the sun goes down (6:31pm)
  * **CONTINUITY SNAFU** :  _Sometime between 6:30 and midnight, Simon refuses his DNA, rescues Clary, gets arrested, gets released, goes home, changes his clothes, and sets up for his show at the Hunter’s Moon_
  * Maia fights Jace over the tracking chip maybe around 8:30pm or so?
  * Maia’s arrested around 9:30pm then (the Inquisitor says she attacked Jace an hour ago)
  * When she’s arrested, Maia says she was walking home from work
  * **CONTINUITY SNAFU** :  _Yet at midnight, only a couple hours later, she’s back at work, wearing a different outfit_
  * Izzy saves Max, kills the bad guy, reports back to the Institute, changes her clothes, and head out to catch Simon’s show as well
  * Simon’s show takes place at midnight (end of Tuesday the 4th/beginning of Wednesday the 5th)



**2x14 “The Fair Folk”  
Timeframe:**  October 9 (morning through evening)

_The date for this episode is only a best guess. The dialogue is somewhat misleading when Jace claims Alec has been in charge for a week, because there’s no possible way it can be a full week since 2x13. Best guess is 5 days since 2x13._

  * The opening scene with Jace at the piano is misleading; Jace is wearing the same clothes that he was in 2x13 when he hooked up with Maia in the alley, and from the dialogue we’re meant to assume he just got back from that hookup, but since he later says Alec has been in charge for a week, he and Maia have hooked up more than once
  * It’s after sunrise when Alec briefs the Institute and sends Jace and Clary on their mission to the Seelie Court
  * It’s after sunset when the Downworld cabinet begins, however, as established both by the scene with Luke getting the fire message at the Jade Wolf and by the fact that Raphael is in attendance



**2x15 “A Problem of Memory”  
Timeframe:**  October 10 (after midnight) to October 11 (2am)

  * Raphael says in this episode that the bleeder den doesn’t open until midnight, which means the scene where Simon and Quinn go to the bleeder den takes place after midnight, a few hours after the events of 2x14
  * While it seems unlikely Simon would go out to the Hunters Moon so soon after 2x14, he did just originally intend to get some blood to go, so he was either hungry or intending to drink his sorrows away while moping in private; he didn’t intend to go out and get wild
  * Alec wakes alone sometime after sunrise
  * Again, because the bleeder den doesn’t open until midnight, it’s sometime after midnight when Simon confronts Quinn
  * Magnus tells Alec about his past sometime between midnight and 2am
  * **(POSSIBLE) CONTINUITY SNAFU** :  _While briefing her team earlier, Izzy says Valentine’s transfer is set for 2am, which would be 7am Idris time, but it’s already after sunrise in Idris when they arrive, and sunrise shouldn’t have been until after 7:30am if Idris is in the same time zone as Zürich, Switzerland_



**2x16 “Day of Atonement”  
Timeframe:**  October 12 (morning to evening)

  * Simon is fasting when Maia comes to visit him, which means it’s October 12, as Yom Kippur began at sunset on October 11
  * Simon and Maia go to dinner with his family after sunset on the 12th, which means the end of Yom Kippur
  * All the events of this episode take place from the morning of the 12th to the evening of the 12th



**2x17 “A Dark Reflection”  
Timeframe:**  October 13 (morning to late night)

  * Alec tells Max he’s approved to begin going on missions the morning of the 13th
  * Izzy confronts Alec about Max later that morning
  * Jonathan attacks Elliot Nourse sometime after sunset (which is 6:17pm on the 13th)
  * Alec is “a few hours” late for dinner (which was probably scheduled for 6 or 7pm) thus the dinner date scene should probably actually take place around 9-10 pm. However, given how much else happens in this episode and the fact that most of 2x18 takes place before sunrise the next day it makes more sense for the dinner date scene to happen earlier
  * Magnus confronts Alec about withholding the information about the Soul Sword an hour or two after their dinner date
  * **CONTINUITY SNAFU** :  _According to their website, the last paddleboat rental at[Prospect Park](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=http%3A%2F%2Flakesidebrooklyn.com%2Factivities%2Fboating%2F&t=ZDU4M2UyYjFiNzA3NGVjMjU2M2FkMmNhZWQzMzc1ZDllMjhkYzIwZCxuSEpwTjY0Mg%3D%3D&b=t%3Aq7WNBZOaHFhtINdvSPbwWg&p=https%3A%2F%2Fmaleccrazedauthor.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F172027359830%2Fshadowhunters-timeline-season-2b&m=0) goes out two hours before to sunset, which means Simon and Maia are S.O.L. Oops_
  * Max confronts Jonathan in Alec’s office perhaps around 11pm to midnight



**2x18 “Awake, Arise, or Be Forever Fallen”  
Timeframe:**  October 14 (midnight to after sunrise)

  * Izzy finds Max unconscious in her room perhaps sometime after midnight
  * Alec goes to Magnus’s loft to ask for his help before sunrise
  * Exterior shots establish that Jonathan attacks the Elite Guardsmen in the courtyard right around sunrise
  * It’s still quite early in the morning when Clary reveals Jonathan and Magnus breaks up with Alec



**2x19 “Hail and Farewell”  
Timeframe:**  October 14 (morning to evening)

  * Jonathan has his meltdown while it’s still early morning
  * Clary, Jace and Izzy find Sebastian Verlac’s body in Jonathan’s apartment perhaps mid-morning
  * While it doesn’t look like it’s daylight outside Alec’s office when he briefs the Inquisitor about the Mirror, it’s nighttime in Idris, which suggests it must be afternoon in New York
  * The meeting with the Downworld Council takes place late morning or early afternoon
  * The lighting when Raphael and Izzy talk suggests it’s getting close to sunset, but there are several more outside scenes that take place in the daylight afterward
  * It’s just before sunset when Valentine attacks the funeral to make the Forsaken
  * It’s after sunset when Clary, Izzy, Alec, and Jace track Jonathan to the cemetery and “kill” him
  * Valentine strikes his deal with the Seelie Queen late that night



**2x20 “Beside Still Water”  
Timeframe:**  October 15 (sunrise to late night)

  * This episode begins after sunrise with Jonathan washing up on the beach and opening the rift to Edom
  * Alec et al confront the dragon over Manhattan perhaps mid-morning
  * Alec asks for Magnus’s help closing the rift in the late morning
  * Magnus, Alec, and Izzy close the rift around noon
  * It’s just after sunset in Alicante (1pm New York time) when Jace and Clary escape and kill Consul Malachi and his headsman
  * It’s maybe 2:30-3pm New York time when Valentine summons Raziel
  * I have my doubts that they’d be able to report to the Inquisitor in Alicante that they killed the Consul and un-summoned the angel and still make it back to New York in time to attend a party that night, HOWEVER the characters in the party clearly state a number of times that it’s still the same day, I so guess they managed it



**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can find a [rebloggable version of this timeline on Tumblr](https://maleccrazedauthor.tumblr.com/post/172027359830/)


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